The group poses in front of the Haghia Sophia. (Click for larger image.)

The group poses for one last picture. (Click for larger image.)

Thursday morning, I awoke at 5 am, running on about two hours of sleep.  I crammed the last of my souvenirs into my suitcase, wrapped my breakables with care and lumbered down the spiral staircase at the Hotel Nena dreading going home.

There was so much of Istanbul that I had not yet seen and done, so much that I still wanted to explore, so many questions I still wanted answered.  Although I had seen so much of the city, I still felt that I had barely scratched the surface of Istanbul.  This city that spans two continents is not one that can be completely uncovered in a week, but one that may take months to truly reveal all of its hidden gems.

The gateway to the Middle East, Istanbul, is a collusion of old world history and new world business with a certain sort of magic mixed in.  In one sense, it is enormous and overwhelming, and yet, it became like my home in just a week.

As the plane took off from Ataturk International Airport, I gazed out the window and saw Istanbul fade into the distance.  When we climbed into the clouds, I made a promise to myself that I would make it back to Istanbul, that I was saying goodbye to the city for now but not forever. As the Turks would say, gule-gule (goodbye).

posted by Stacy Dyer '96

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